4/27/13

Red Lion High School Transgender Student Will Attend Prom Tonight With His Girl Despite Principal's Bullying and Threats

It's been a traumatic experience so far for transgender high school senior Issak Oliver Wolfe and girl friend Taylor in a story first broke on planetransgender. Issak will be allowed to attend his Prom in his correct gender and his girl friend will accompany him despite threats and bullying by Mr. Shue, Red Lion High School Principal.

When Wolfe's girlfriend, Taylor Thomas, posted a message on Facebook and created an online petition supporting him, Shue called Wolfe into his office and threatened to prevent him from bringing her to prom unless she changed the posts. Shue also wrote a scripted press statement that he then pressured Wolfe to give to media. After Thomas's online posts were changed, Shue continued to threaten to bar her from attending until Wolfe said he was contacting the ACLU.

Shue declined to say whether or not Wolfe's male name will be read at graduation, as he has repeatedly requested.

"Issak is accepted by his family, teachers, and peers for who he is," said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "He had no reason to expect to be treated differently by school officials, and Shue's efforts to silence Issak and Taylor and suppress their First Amendment rights are completely inappropriate and unconstitutional."

The full letter sent by the ACLU to the Red Lion School district can be viewed here.